On August 1, Gaines was shot by officers after a standoff that lasted for seven hours. During the standoff, Gaines posted video updates to social media, where she spoke to her son, Kodi, and said the police were trying to kill her.

Baltimore County officials stated that the standoff occurred when officers went to the residence of Gaines and Courtney to deliver warrants. When the couple refused entry to the house, officers made their way in, and found Gaines holding a long gun.

Officers said that Gaines pointed the gun in their direction and threatened to kill them, which led to them opening fire. Gaines was shot and killed on the scene, and her 5-year-old son was shot in the arm.

The family of Gaines believes that the entry into Gaines’s home was unlawful and they had no reason to enter the home without a search warrant. The documents also allege that Gaines death was wrongful, the police used excessive force and negligence, and that an account given by Gaines’s neighbor Ramone Coleman contradicts some of the police statements.

According to Coleman, Gaines agreed to surrender if the police officers dropped their weapons and backed away from the door.

"She said, 'Put your guns down and I'll put mine down and come out,'" said Coleman on Monday. "They said no. And they said they were not leaving."